Koopaling Poems
by Coooool123
Summary: The Koopalings were asked to write poems about themselves, or others, and how they feel. They are in age order. Part 4 (Post poems): Finally what you've all been waiting for!
1. Poems - Ludwig

**A poem, by Ludwig Von Koopa**

In German

_Translated to English (unaccented) for easy reading._

I'm the oldest

So I have to be the most responsible

But… why can't I have fun?

Why can't I fight Mario first?

Maybe I don't _want_ to be the oldest!

Not like I'm getting the throne anyway…

Give it to your favourite, father.

That's what you do.

Oh well. What's done is done.

I don't blame Junior, nor father.

But… maybe if I had been better…

Worked harder…

It could have been mine…

But now I sit in my room…

Alone…

Preparing a battle plan that will ultimately fail…

And playing music that will never truly help.


	2. Poems - Lemmy

**A poem, by Lemmy Koopa**

I like you!

Do you like me?

I like the circus too!

I like my circus ball,

I like my brothers,

I like my sister

I like King Dad,

I like my hair,

I like my wand and my bombs,

I like ice worlds and penguins

I like doing nothing and rolling around,

I like cake,

I like colourful things,

I like video games,

I like beating Mario,

And I like being me!

But what I like most of all…

…is my brother Iggy!

**Not yaoi or slash... just brotherly love and best of friends.**

**No wrong ideas plz.**


	3. Poems - Roy

**A poem, by Roy Koopa**

I never cry,

How can I?

But it's not like you'd notice

With my covered eyes.

I only hurt you because I love you,

Also I wish you'd leave me alone.

My failures make me angry,

And I take it out on you…

But if I had to choose,

I'd always pick you all…

I never show my feelings,

I only show my rage,

Angry at our failures,

But you never see my pain.

And this is all a secret,

I suppose you'll never know,

That I'll always care about you,

And I'll never let you go.

…And if you tell anyone I'll sock ya.


	4. Poems - Iggy

**A poem, by Iggy Koopa**

Middle child…

…I don't care.

I'm crazy.

I don't care.

Who's got the throne? Who rules the Kingdom?

I'm not going to. And I don't care.

Frivolous is what it is.

I've got more important things to do,

Than complain about who's gonna be king.

Just let me experiment.

And do my own thing.

And you can all do whatever you want.

I'm indifferent.

This isn't even really a poem.

Just give me a lab, my chain chomp… and maybe Lemmy to hang out with.

And I'm fine. And I'm happy.

…Oh… and no strait jackets.


	5. Poems - Wendy

**A poem, by Wendy O. Koopa**

Daddy's little girl…

Wanted nothing less than the world.

Heh. If only they knew…

What was the truth.

Why can't things be the way they were before?

When _I_ was the favourite?

And not that…

…That brat?

I get so angry,

That he gets what I deserve.

Ever since that runt entered the family,

I'm happy if Daddy even remembers my name.

I used to be the star,

I went so very far,

Got everything I wanted,

Even my own car.

Then _he_ comes along,

Ruins my hard work,

All I want is for him to be…

Gone.


	6. Poems - Morton

**A poem, by Morton Koopa Jr.**

ERROR – WORD COUNT TOO EXCESSIVE

LIMIT TO 100 WORDS OR LESS.

_What?! What is this?! Urgh… fine…_

I chatter, chatter, chatter…

Why won't you listen to me?

Sure I can be annoying…

But it really hurts sometimes. Can you see?

Just once I wish you'd hear me,

Instead of saying 'shut up' up smacking my head.

But what if I need a hearing ear?

Or if I'm sick in bed?

Will you ignore me then?

Will you blot out all of my calls?

Will you walk away from my voice,

And just let me fall?

…No you wouldn't do that!

You're my family, after all!

And you'll always hear my problems,

Whether big or small!

…I hope…


	7. Poems - Larry

**A poem, by Larry Koopa**

I cheat you.

I steal from you.

But I never mean to hurt you.

I just want us all to be a family.

Is that so wrong?

Sure Dad's tough on us…

Sure we hate each other…

But why can't we just get along?

It's all I want.

Besides not getting eaten by Piranha.

I can't help it if I'm tasty. Plus they're fun to poke.

We all argue, call each other names,

Then I go into my room and cry.

I just want to be a family.

United.

Together.

One.

Is that so wrong?

I didn't think so.


	8. Poems - Bowser Jr

**A poem, by Bowser Jr.**

…My siblings hate me.

And that makes me sad.

It's probably because they think I'm dad's favourite.

It's true he gives me the most…

And spends the most time with me…

…but I'd give it all up to make my siblings happy.

It's not even my fault that I look the most like King Dad!

I suppose it doesn't matter…

They don't care…

Not really…

No matter how hard I try,

I even stayed out of the Coin Festival kidnapping.

But no matter what I do…

They still hate me.

And even though they hide it,

It's right there for me to see.

…you can't really miss it!


	9. Handing it in: Kamek's Surprise

**Thank you all for your reviews!**

**samusaran101/James Birdsong/kookylover98: Thank you all!**

**Just Call Me J: Bet ya weren't expecting that, huh?**

**Zora Princess: …interesting wording, there. XD I feel like people hate Junior just because he EXISTS. I mean, that's not his fault. And thank you! That's what I aim for! Though it's really hard when we know almost nothing about them…**

**Jeanette Volet: I REALLY hope you're not actually crying! XD I don't wanna make people cry! And I've always felt that Junior just tries so HARD to be accepted, but everyone hates him! Characters and gamers alike!**

Kamek sat patiently in one of the classrooms in Bowser's castle. Eight school chairs were positioned in a half-circle on a blue carpet right near the door, facing the Magikoopa. He had given each of the Koopalings a simple free verse poetry assignment to express their deeper feelings about either themselves or others. He trusted them to do this correctly, surprising as it may be. He would call them back momentarily. They'd had since yesterday to complete this, and it was a breeze. The poem had to be around ninety words. Thankfully he'd remembered to put a word limit on Morton's computer so that he wouldn't write a book again. He'd learned his lesson from the time he'd asked them to write something. It was about their last vacation. Unfortunately for him, Morton had a surprisingly accurate memory, and felt that it was necessary to include every single detail, down to the letter. Kamek let out a sigh. His eyes were still sore from reading that assignment.

He glanced over at the clock that hung above the door. It was exactly 11:00; time to call the kids to the classroom. He stood up and made his way to the intercom right next to the door.

* * *

Ludwig was currently tweaking one of his latest symphonies on the black, grand piano in his room. It was almost perfect; he just needed a few notes corrected. But unfortunately for the eldest Koopaling, this was easier said than done. The flow of the notes seemed to evade him, and, despite his intense practicing and editing, something still seemed to be amiss. He just couldn't seem to put his claw on it.

"Vat eez zee problem vith me lately?" Ludwig muttered, his thick, German accent more noticeable due to his irritated attitude, "Vhy can I not perfect zees piece? I never have zeese issues vhen it comes to vriting symphonies…"

As he began to try the song once more, the overhead speaker interrupted him.

"All Koopalings please report to Classroom 3A. I repeat, all Koopalings, please report to Classroom 3A, and bring your completed poetry assignment."

Ludwig sighed in defeat, finally getting up from his music. He grabbed a sheet of lined paper that was lying on his desk and made his way to the classroom, all the while running over the song in his head, trying to figure out what the problem was.

* * *

In the toy room, Lemmy was attempting to perfect one of his latest tricks. He, and a few other minions, had started their own circus, and they had been practicing their tricks every day. They wouldn't be ready for a long time, but when they were, he hoped that King Dad, and his siblings, would appreciate all of their hard work. As he tried the trick again, he was startled by Kamek's voice and fell to the ground, landing on a fluffy orange pillow.

"All Koopalings please report to Classroom 3A. I repeat, all Koopalings, please report to Classroom 3A, and bring your completed poetry assignment."

"Where'd I put it?" Lemmy wondered aloud, hopping back onto his circus ball. He rolled around the room until he felt something different on his foot. The completed assignment had been taped to the circus ball the whole time.

"Ah yeah! I put it there in case I forgot!" Lemmy nodded, grinning happily, before rolling out of the room.

* * *

"All Koopalings please report to Classroom 3A. I repeat, all Koopalings, please report to Classroom 3A, and bring your completed poetry assignment."

Roy blinked awake at the sound of Kamek squawking over the intercom. He moaned tiredly, glasses shifting on his face, as he buried his head into his pillow. He didn't enjoy getting up before noon, but, knowing that he'd be in serious trouble if he overslept, he managed to roll out of bed. As he stared at his completed poetry assignment, his eyes widened. He could _not_ show this to anyone. He'd forgotten that he had to hand it in. So, he grabbed a blank piece of paper and quickly scribbled a random poem about wrestling. It wasn't good at all, but hopefully it would be enough to fool Kamek.

Filled with nervousness, Roy rushed out of his room, tucking the real assignment into his shell.

* * *

Iggy smiled creepily to himself as he worked on his latest machine. If this worked, they could transport Peach to the depths of their dungeon anytime they wished. It would save so much effort and time. Plus, it would take Mario much longer to figure out where she had gone. As he was putting the final touches on the machine, Kamek's voice grated into the room.

"All Koopalings please report to Classroom 3A. I repeat, all Koopalings, please report to Classroom 3A, and bring your completed poetry assignment."

Iggy sighed. Could he get no peace? _Ah well…_ he grabbed his assignment from his bed before heading to the classroom. But not before petting his Chain Chomp, Chompella, on the way out.

* * *

Wendy was busy applying her makeup when it happened.

"All Koopalings please report to Classroom 3A. I repeat, all Koopalings, please report to Classroom 3A, and bring your completed poetry assignment."

She let out a moan. "I don't care. Kamek can wait. It's just a stupid poetry assignment. My looks are much more important."

She remained in her room until she was 100% sure that she could look no better.

* * *

"…so you see I really do enjoy going to the arcade here in Darkland but I just wish it was more filled with things like retro games–"

"Morton."

"I really enjoy retro games they're super fun and cool plus I like getting high scores you know I have the highest score in Frogger in the arcade–"

"Morton?"

"It's a really really really really high score and I worked really hard to get it it took me a really really really really long time to get it plus–"

"MORTON."

"Yeah?"

"All I wanted to know is how you were doing…"

"Oh I'm fine Larry thanks for asking."

Morton and Larry were standing in the hallway. Morton was clutching a piece of paper with his poem on it in his hand, as was Larry. They had each heard the announcement and were heading there now. Morton had been writing, as per usual, and Larry had been organizing his stolen goods. Larry had made the foolish mistake of asking Morton how he was doing, which lead to a ten minute, one sided conversation about a great number of things, varying from pinapples to video games to stamps and everything in between.

"So what did you write about Larry?"

"What did _you_ write about?"

"I asked you first."

Larry bit his lip, remaining silent.

"Larry?" Morton nudged his younger brother's arm.

"Oh… um… nothing important…" He looked down at the paper in his hand with embarrassment.

"Well what is it?"

"It's nothing, Morton!"

"Tell me!"

"No!"

"Hey guys."

The bickering Koopalings were startled at the voice and looked up. Bowser Junior stepped into view in front of them, tilting his head in greeting.

"Oh, hey Junior," Larry nodded back at him.

"What are you two arguing about?"

"Larry won't tell me what his poem's about!" Morton whined.

"It's private!" Larry countered, hugging the paper close to his chest.

"But I wanna know!"

"Morton, leave him alone," another voice floated into the hallway. It was Ludwig, who seemed deep in thought as he stepped into the hallway and approached the others. "If he does not vant to say vat his poem eez about, then leave eet at zat."

The German-accented Koopaling joined the youngest three on their way to the classroom. Morton decided to give it another shot.

"So Ludwig what did you write about?"

"I do not believe that that is any of your concern."

"Oh come on!" he pouted, "I'm curious! Intrigued! Interested! Puzzled! I WANNA KNOW!"

Larry finally let out a moan of defeat. "Look, if it's any consolation, I'll let you read it after Kranky Kamek marks it, okay?"

"…okay."

"So what did you write about then, Morton?" Junior inquired.

"…"

"Morton?"

"Nothing! Nothing important!" he quickly replied.

The three of them facepalmed simultaneously. Larry then turned to Ludwig. "So where are the others?"

"Lemmy undt Iggy are vaiting for us een zee classroom. I am not avare of Roy or Vendy's location, though I assume zat zee latter is doing makeup."

"Oh. Fun," Larry rolled his eyes at his sister's vanity. The four of them soon reached the classroom. Iggy and Lemmy were talking to each other about nothing in particular. They sat on Kamek's far left. Ludwig took the seat next to Iggy, and Larry sat on his other side, while Morton sat on the opposite end of the room. Junior, unsure of where to go, sat in the middle of the empty seats. The clock read 11:10 by the time everyone was in the room.

Kamek raised an eyebrow as five more minutes passed, but there was no sign of Roy or Wendy.

"I'm here," Wendy announced, entering the room as gracefully as she could. She eyed her brothers with distaste, before taking the seat between Morton and Junior with an irritated sigh, a piece of paper in her left hand, and an iPhone in her right.

"This won't take long, will it, Kamek?" she drawled, "I have a spa treatment at one and I cannot be late."

"Yet you can be late for your class," Larry whispered to Ludwig, snickering. Wendy shot him a warning glare, and Larry stuck his tongue out at her.

"It depends when Roy gets here," Kamek replied, removing a piece of lint from his royal blue robes.

Two more minutes passed before Roy finally arrived. Kamek watched as he took his place between Junior and Larry, a piece of paper in his hands. It looked pretty rushed and crumpled, to say the least.

"Care to explain why you're late, Roy?" the Magikoopa questioned, staring pointedly at the piece of paper in his hands.

"…" Roy was silent. He knew what Kamek was assuming, but even though it was wrong, he said nothing. If you looked closely enough, you could see a tiny ounce of nervousness in his otherwise expressionless demeanour.

"Very well," Kamek sighed, "Now, you're probably all expecting me to take your assignments, mark them, and hand them back later."

The Koopalings each nodded in agreement. That's what he always did.

"Well, that's not what I'm going to do today," Kamek went on. The eight siblings exchanged looks of surprise and confusion.

"Why not, Kamek?" Junior tilted his head, holding his poem in both hands, shielding the words from his siblings' views.

"Because…" Kamek swooped his wand across the room, and everyone's paper, with the exception of Roy's, disappeared, "You'll be reading each others'!"

At his words, each of the Koopalings had their own reactions. Lemmy, Iggy, and Wendy didn't seem in the least bit concerned. Morton, Larry, Ludwig, and Junior were mildly alarmed, but they said nothing. Roy, however, was in full out panic mode as he searched for the real poem, but discovered that it was nowhere to be found. The fake poem tumbled to the ground in a crumpled ball. Kamek raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing, sudden understanding dawning on the Magikoopa.

"Each of you will get one poem. You are to read it. When you are finished, report back to me and I will accept it." Kamek waved his wand one more time, and the Koopalings vanished, each to reappear with a new poem in a random room of the castle.


	10. Teleportation: The Reading

**Just-Call-Me-J: Then this chapter won't help with the whole 'causing suspense'.**

**Dustubuni: Thanks so much!**

**Cenobia100: Yup I did! And here's some more!**

**Jeanette Violet: Awww... that's so sweet!**

Ludwig was completely unfazed by the teleportation. He looked at his surroundings. He had been warped to the gallery, where King Dad hung pictures of his kidnapping attempts, predecessors, and masterpieces created by Junior. Though Ludwig knew that there one of his most famous symphonies hung somewhere in the gallery, it wasn't in a prominent spot, like his youngest sibling's paintings. Ludwig sighed as he took his place under a much older painting: the first mission he had ever been on with his father when he was much, much younger. He'd been around six when it had happened. Looking up at the painting wistfully, he decided to read the poem that Kamek had teleported with him.

_A poem, by Bowser Jr._

Ludwig raised an eyebrow upon seeing the name. Figures that he'd get stuck with this one.

"Vell, I might as vell begin. Let us see vat fazur's miniature self has to vrite about."

* * *

Lemmy smiled when he realized where he had gone. He was in the completely glass side room of his circus chamber, his yellow circus ball next to him. The room was an exact duplicate of a circus tent, and was the perfect place for practice. He quickly rolled over to the door, but it would not open. Lemmy tilted his head to the side in confusion. He was… locked in?

"Help!" Lemmy called, pounding on the glass. "I'm stuck!" But no one was there to hear him. He doubted he was strong enough to break the glass. They had greatly reinforced it because of Rocket Bomb, the bob-omb who loved being shot from a cannon, and his sudden explosions when he was launched. They hadn't quite gotten his routine correct yet, as black charred marks on the walls, floor, ceiling, and seats indicated.

"I'm stuck." Lemmy repeated, but this time it was stating a fact rather than a cry for help. He suddenly looked down at his hands. A piece of paper was in his right hand.

"I wonder who's I got!" Lemmy backflipped onto the circus ball and landed perfectly, sitting cross-legged.

_Larry Koopa_

"Oh cool! It's Larry's!" Lemmy chirped, blinking as he tried to adjust his eyes to the page. "I wonder what it says! I hope it's as happy as mine is!"

* * *

Roy was in full blown panic mode when he was teleported to the weight room. He rushed to the door and desperately attempted to open it, but it would not budge.

"KAMEK!" Roy roared, ramming his shoulder into the door in frustration. "LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

As if he could hear him, which, considering his rage, he probably could, Kamek's voice floated through the speakers. "You can leave when you've finished reading the poem that I sent with you."

Roy did not like that answer at all. It meant that one of his siblings would be reading his poem. Possibly at this very moment. He could just imagine Ludwig or Morton reading it. He'd never hear the end of it if it was one of them. Or if it was anyone, for that matter. And if Wendy had it–!

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Roy ran into the door again, throwing all of his force against it. But, as weak as it may have looked, it did not budge. Roy rubbed his hand against his right shoulder. It was incredible that he hadn't dislocated it yet from the force he had used. Looking around the room, he got another idea to open the door. Moments later, a rack of heavy weights was thrown into the door, shattering the stand and even cracking some of the weights. The door didn't even have a scratch on it.

Eye twitching, Roy turned around and stormed to the other end of the room, and soon approached the door with a large cannon that was, for some reason, in the weight room. He cackled, took a deep breath, lit the fuse with his fire breath, and fired a blast that shook the entire foundation of the castle. Roy coughed as smoke exploded into the room, and looked up when it cleared.

"…YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME."

* * *

Elsewhere, Kamek felt the vibrations of the blast, and looked up from what he was reading.

"…Roy must have found that spare cannon," Kamek murmured to himself, before returning to his book on Magikoopa Diets.

* * *

Back with Roy, he slumped in defeat against the stubborn door, punching it in vain one last time, before glaring at the piece of paper in his hands.

_Morton Koopa Jr._

"Might as well get this over with," he grumbled, getting comfortable as he began to read the surprisingly short poem.

* * *

Iggy blinked and looked around in confusion as he appeared in the throne room.

_Well, Kamek, you sure have interesting tastes… why send me here? I don't care about the throne…_ Iggy frowned as he scanned the room. No one else was there, not even his father or the throne guards. King Dad would have a fit if he saw that his beloved chair was unprotected.

Iggy turned around to leave, placing a hand on the doorknob.

_Locked… what a surprise. And I suppose I'm stuck here until I read the poem._

He looked down at the paper in his hands. He didn't even have to read the name. The flowery script gave the owner of the poem away.

_Wendy. Figures… Now why give me her poem? I expected Lemmy's or something… Sure, it could be randomized, but… random isn't exactly his style. What are you planning, Kamek?_

* * *

Wendy had her own surprise waiting for her when she was teleported. She ended up in the toy room. Small objects littered the floor, making it hard to walk without stepping on anything.

"Why am I _here_? Ew!" she whined, "Only Lemmy and Junior use this gross place… and sometimes Larry… but still… ugh. So childish in here."

Wendy disdainfully stepped over to a relatively clean pink beanbag chair, and collapsed into it.

"My makeup is going to be ruined if I stay in this icky place for too long… I'd better read this quickly."

_Lemmy Koopa_

"Hm… wonder why I got this one… oh well. Might as well get this over with."

* * *

Morton tumbled to the ground, head spinning because of the sudden teleportation. He blinked to clear his head, and realized that he was in an empty library.

_…Ha ha, Kamek… send the chatty Koopaling to the quietest place in the castle… very funny._

It was not a well-known fact, but Morton spent a good portion of his time in the library. He actually loved to read, almost as much as he loved to talk. He greatly hoped to be a writer one day, and he figured that, when his siblings would ignore him, he would read in the library and get ideas for his own stories.

_And speaking… or rather… _thinking_ of stories… hehe…_

Morton whipped out the paper that was in his hands, getting comfortable at one of the square wooden tables in the center of the room.

_Ludwig Von Koopa_

"Oooh! Ludwig's!" Morton grinned to himself, "I wonder if it's about music! Well I'm not gonna find out by chattering! I'd better get reading and see what my biggest brother has to say! I'm really, really, really curious!"

"SHH!"

"…Oops! Sorry Ms. Fogbottom!"

* * *

Larry blinked when he appeared in the castle vault. Of all the places, Kamek would send him here? Larry chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he slipped some coins into his shell. He didn't have his sack, so he couldn't carry as much. Larry went over to the vault door and attempted to open it; he usually kept a spare sack right outside, and he also knew that the guards were on lunch break. Unfortunately for him, the door wouldn't budge. Then he realized that he would probably not be able to get out until he read the poem. That's just how Kamek was with these things.

"Crafty Magikoopa," Larry mused, before settling down into a pile of coins and getting ready to read the poem in his hands. The second-youngest did a double-take when he saw whose poem it was.

_Roy Koopa_

_Well… this ought to be interesting,_ he mused.

* * *

Junior was the last to open his eyes. He ended up in the dungeon.

"Well… this seems slightly ironic," he chuckled humorlessly to himself, "Especially considering what I wrote…"

Junior was in an empty cell, devoid of all noise or life. No insects, nothing. Just… silence. The cell door was locked, preventing him from leaving. He supposed that Kamek would come and get him when he was finished reading the poem.

_Iggy Koopa_

Junior cocked an eyebrow. Of all the siblings, he was the least closest to Iggy. Probably because the dude was nuttier than a fruit cake, and his insane laughter usually drove him away.

"I guess it's good that I got Iggy's poem… I don't usually talk to him, and so it'll be a good way for me to learn about the guy…"

And thus the readings began…


	11. Revealing the Source

**You're all going to hate me after you read the first bit. Just sayin'.**

Kamek was finishing up his latest chapter of Magikoopa Diets when he was interrupted by a knock on the doorframe.

"Yes?"

"How goes it, Kamek?"

"Ah, Lord Bowser. I did not expect to see you so soon today." Kamek placed his book on the floor and turned to face the Koopa King.

"My meeting ran quicker than expected. So? How's the plan working so far with the kids?"

The advisor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, they all completed the assignment, and I just –"

"The assignment?"

"Yes, your Interruptingness, the assignment. I told them to each write a personal poem about their feelings."

Bowser looked at Kamek skeptically. "Really? Feelings? That's gonna make them cooperate better?"

"I know that it's a little unorthodox, compared to our usual methods of getting people to cooperate…"

"Hey. Stickin' two minions in a sealed room that's slowly closing in on them usually works. Like, 60% of the time. Maybe 55%. But more than half!"

"I don't doubt that, your Mathematicalness… but I feel that getting them to express their feelings, and then getting them to read each other's poems, will hopefully help them bond with each other. More so than our past attempts."

"Bombsketball over a lava pit was a great idea…"

"It almost annihilated Lemmy and Morton."

"But still!" Bowser stamped his foot in indignation.

"Please, your Grumpiness…" Kamek sighed, "None of your ideas have worked very successfully. Let's at least try some of my methods."

"…"

"You want them to work together in order them to fight the Mario Brothers more successfully, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"And we both agreed that the reason why Mario and Luigi always defeat you is because they work together, right?"

"I guess…"

"Then please, your Agreeingness, let me at least test out one of my ideas. If it doesn't work, then we can move on to something else. Plus, there will be much less hospitalization this time."

"There wouldn't be so much hospitalization if they were tougher. And spent more time training instead of goofing off," Bowser argued.

"And I suppose that you're the best example of this, Your Laziness?" Kamek rolled his eyes dryly. "When was the last time that you had a true blue training session? Or worked out at all, for that matter?"

Bowser grumbled under his breath. "I'm the King. That's different."

"Regardless. The only way that they'll have more success against your enemies is if they fight together. The only way that they'll fight together successfully is to learn to cooperate. And the only way that they can do _that_, in my humble opinion, is for them to respect and understand each other more."

"Alright, alright," Bowser lifted a hand in defeat, "But if this doesn't work, I'm trying Bombsketball again. I saw some real improvement between Lemmy and Morton!"

"That's because they were stuck in Emergency and had nothing better to do than talk to each other," Kamek muttered under his breath. Bowser didn't seem to hear.

"I have another meeting to go to," Bowser muttered in irritation, "But I want a full report by the end of the day." Bowser turned to leave, casting a quick glance back at Kamek as he did so. "Speaking of… where are the kids, anyway?"

"Oh… they're around…" Kamek answered him simply. Bowser stared at him, before shrugging and leaving. The advisor was about to return to his reading when another, very irritating voice grated its way into the room.

"Weeeeeellllllll, Kamek… seems like you're actually reading that book!"

Kamek sighed and flipped his book back open. It wasn't his book in the first place; it was Kammy's, and she had insisted that he needed to lose weight. He'd been indignant at the suggestion at first; he was as fit as a fiddle! Though age did take his toll, and sure, he _had_ been sneaking an extra portion of dessert every once in a while… so he'd taken her up on her offer. And he'd also accepted her idea, as well…

"And I'm honestly surprised that you attempted the poetry assignment that I suggested. You're actually listening to me for once!"

"Go away, Kammy."

"Fine, fine. But remember! This whole thing was MY idea!"

"Bowser still thinks it's mine, you know."

"…that's not very fair, now that I think about it."

"True. If it succeeds I'll have lots of praise. But if it doesn't, he'll have my hide. And these ARE the Koopalings we're talking about. Now get going. I'm very busy."

Kammy rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic attitude and left in a huff, while Kamek returned to his book.

The female Magikoopa began to head down towards the meeting room, as she was to assist Bowser with his latest plans. But before she had managed to go very far, she ended up running into a female Koopatrol. Unlike most of the other Koopatrol members, this one was a bright pink, and held a short, green sword in one hand.

"Oh! Miss Kammy!" she exclaimed, nodding slightly, "So great to see you!"

"Ah yes, Slasha," Kammy waved dismissively at the girl, "It's a… pleasure to see you as well."

Slasha smiled. She wasn't very well liked because of her sweet and nonviolent attitude, but she was still kind to everyone.

"Did you enjoy my idea, Miss Kammy?" Slasha questioned, eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes, yes," Kammy sighed. She just wanted to get out of there. "But don't go telling others that it was your idea. It probably won't work and you don't want to get in trouble with silly fantasies again. Now off with you!"

"Alright, Miss Kammy!" Slasha bowed slightly and quickly rushed off. Kammy let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. That girl was an annoying handful. How she'd become Koopatrol was a mystery to her.

The girl in question bounced off happily, glad that Kammy had been 'happy' with her suggestion. As she made her way towards the training room for the Troop, she sensed someone next to her.

"Hello, Boophanie!" she greeted, smiling at the female Boo who had appeared next to her, "How are you and the Wash Boos doing?"

The Wash Boos were a group of four boos that ran the Koopalings' baths and prepared them for bed or for the start of the day by readying their toothbrushes and brushing their hair. Well, Junior, Lemmy, and Wendy, anyway. The others refused, claiming that they were too old to need them. When Bowser's kids were younger, they had been the nursemaids and Queen Clawdia's closest friends, as well.

"Great! Lemmy's so adorable," she cooed, giggling a little.

"You know, I have to thank you for giving me that idea to give to Kammy. Getting the Koopalings to cooperate through reading each other's poetry was genius!"

"Oh, it was nothing! In fact, it wasn't even my idea in the first place! I got it from my Fire Bro friend! He told me to tell you, too!"

"Really? Hmm… it totally seemed like something that you would think up! Guess I was wrong!"

On the other side of the Koopa Kastle, said Fire Bro, Kenji, was keeping out of sight, while two more minions, a Ninji and a Goomba, were gossiping to each other.

"Man, Kurachi, where do you get these things?" the Ninji looked at her friend in awe.

"Oh, I'm just that clever, Mikuya! But don't tell anyone!" Kurachi winked, adjusting the bow on her head with her foot, "Anyway, I have to get going. Training will start soon!"

Kenji kept his eye on the female Goomba, following her at a safe distance while the Ninji departed in the other direction. Hiding behind a Bowser statue, he watched as Kurachi's eyes darted around nervously, before she ducked into one of the royal family's bedrooms.

Larry's room.

Kenji slipped up to the door, listening closely as Kurachi murmured to herself.

Inside the prince's room, Kurachi avoided the Piranha Plants and snuck over to the young Koopaling's desk, eyes landing on a small blue notebook, with the words _Larry's Journal_ scribbled on the cover. She carefully flipped the pages until she reached the latest entry, from the previous night.

_I'm totally surprised by Kamek's latest assignment. Poetry? About ourselves? This is really weird. Ah well…_

_Ludwig and Roy were arguing. Again. Why am I not surprised? I really wish that we'd get along… I know I wish for the same thing every time I write, but still… like I said a few days ago. Why doesn't someone just _force_ us to understand each other? I don't know… maybe Kamek'll do something with this assignment. Anyway… I just want us to be a true family. Like… and I know I shouldn't think this… but like Mario and Luigi. They ALWAYS get along so well. Like I said before. Every time we lose is because we fight alone. We don't stand together. Why doesn't anyone ever realize this? We need to get along and cooperate to have any chance at success!_

_I guess some dreams just aren't going to come true. I sure can't get my siblings to get along, in any case…_

"Ah, Larry," Kurachi whispered, reading aloud, "I wish I could help but… what can one curious little Goomba do?"

_Apparently more than she realizes,_ Kenji smirked, remembering that someone had said that they were not allowed to open certain rooms until the Koopalings exited them.

The Goomba soon left the room, and the Fire Bro soon left her, reflecting on the fact that he was the only one in the entire castle who knew that the poetry idea, and the entire plan to get the Koopalings to cooperate, was actually Larry's idea, and he was the one who had wanted it in the first place.

It was amazing how someone could influence so much without even realizing it.


	12. Reaction Time

In the gallery, Ludwig leaned back against a display case containing a statue of Iggy's first invention: a multi-function hair dryer. He had just finished reading Junior's poem, and, admittedly, it had not been anything that he had expected from the youngest. Despite Junior's spoiled demeanor and appearance, based on what he had written, he couldn't stand any of it. All he truly wanted was to be loved and accepted by his siblings. It was quite stunning to see him go so far as to stay out of a kidnapping, just so that it would be like old times. He loved those!

In any case, it made sense, when one thought about it. They had no friends; all of those around them were adult subordinates, servants, and Troop members. The only ones they could relax and have fun with were, well, each other. And despite their differences they were a very close knit group; at least he liked to think so. Perhaps they had drifted apart during the past few years… it was clear that they weren't as close as they should have been at that point. But their attitudes towards the youngest made him feel isolated.

Despite what most probably thought, Ludwig was not angry about Junior taking the throne, at least not anymore. Admittedly he had felt a small bit of animosity towards the youngest when he had been born, for multiple reasons; the foremost being that he had taken much away from Ludwig, and the other siblings in general. His right as firstborn… their father's attention… their…

Ludwig shook his head. He had gotten over it. Of course, being the youngest, he would have to receive the most attention. And even though Ludwig had wanted to be king, he realized now that the demands on his time would completely eliminate any occasions for music practice or experiments. As for the third thing… it could not be helped, nor was it in any way Junior's fault. None of them blamed him for that.

With a grunt Ludwig turned his attention back to the poem. Junior was wrong. The only one who truly didn't like him was Wendy; the rest of them either didn't care about what he did, since they weren't the heirs to the throne anyway, or really, truly liked him. Ludwig supposed that what Junior suspected was loathing was, in fact, a group of siblings being closer to each other simply because of the fact that they had known each other longer and had been together longer as well. Of course they would be closer to each other than to Junior.

"I must speak to him about zis matter immediately," Ludwig nodded decisively, getting up and heading to the door, and completely unfazed when it opened right away, just as he had thought.

* * *

For once, Lemmy was not smiling as he exited his circus room. He had a sad expression on his face as he rolled through the hallway.

_Poor Larry…_ Lemmy bit his lip, _he sounded so sad…_

Lemmy did not feel like he and his siblings were far apart from one another. In fact, he felt that they were as close as ever! But Larry's poem made him think. Now that it had been brought to his attention, he did realize that there was tension between his siblings, even though he himself felt fairly close.

Lemmy was an observant person, though no one knew that, and he didn't let it be known. And if there was one thing he was very good at doing, it was seeing people's reactions to things. He was smarter than people gave him credit for.

And now that he was thinking about it, he realized that most of the interactions between them lacked affection. They usually ended in anger, disdain, or even hate. And Lemmy hated hate. Unless a plumber was involved.

Lemmy loved making people happy (again, plumbers not included). And he also loved his siblings more than anything in the world, except maybe his circus ball. But reading Larry's poem made him realize that, contrary to what he had thought, his siblings weren't happy. Especially not like him.

"I need to make them happy!" he realized, starting to roll faster, filled with determination, "And I know just where to start! I gotta find Larry!"

* * *

Roy had been surprised that Morton's poem had been so short, considering that a simple greeting lasted at least five minutes for him.

But what he wrote hit him harder than all of the words in the world.

Of all the Koopas that Roy could have thought was distressed…

He would've thought Lemmy was upset before thinking Morton was.

And he didn't know how, but he knew – _he knew_ – that this poem was talking about him.

No one got after Morton for talking so much more than he did.

No one ignored him more than he did.

No one smacked him more than he did.

And the worst part?

No one was a worse sibling to Morton than he was… or rather… is.

But now that he thought about it, he was kind of a jerk to everyone. Of course, he had his own reason for being the way he was. Nevertheless, it was becoming more and more evident to the tough Koopaling that this reason was not being made known to his siblings.

Finally forgetting about his own poem, Roy got to his feet. The weight room was a complete and utter disaster after his rampage, though this was the last thing in his mind. Kamek would probably deal with it later. Right now, he needed to find Morton and set things straight. He needed to let him know why he acted the way he did. And he needed to let him know that he would try to be a better brother, as impossible as it may seem.

"Hang on, Morton," he murmured, stepping out of the room, "I'm gonna set things right."

* * *

Iggy was, in fact, quite amused by reading his sister's poem. It felt good to watch her anger nearly tear through the page, as she wrote biting words and held nothing back.

"I wonder," he cackled aloud, sitting on his father's throne in a very relaxed manner. Normally, he wouldn't even entertain the thought. But… something felt right about sitting there. He would have to investigate it later.

"I wonder… how far she would go?" he continued, staring at the last few lines of the poem. He got up and headed for the door. "And I wonder… if given the chance… if she would choose it?"

* * *

Over by the toy room, Wendy quickly left, leaving the childish smells and toys behind.

"That was atrocious," she moaned, breathing in fresh air, "Daddy should really roast Kamek for that!"

In her hand was Lemmy's poem. She hadn't really taken much from it, not like there was much to get.

"Why would Kamek stick me with such a happy poem? I don't really care." Wendy huffed and quickly hurried off to her room to reapply her makeup. For her, sitting in that toy room felt like her beauty was melting away.

* * *

Morton was walking through the halls, talking to himself on Ludwig's poem.

"Awww! Poor Ludwig! Poor guy! Who would've thought that he felt like that? Well it's not really surprising that we didn't know because all he does is sit in his room and play music. I guess that's kind of his coping mechanism. Like writing and talking are for me. But I still feel like I have to do something… maybe I can ask Ludwig if he wants to play video games with me! Because even though he's the oldest he's only seventeen! He's still a kid. Well a teen, almost an adult, but still a kid. I wonder who got my poem. I bet Ludwig wasn't expecting me to get his. I didn't expect to get his, that's for sure. I thought I was going to get Larry's or Lemmy's or Roy's or Iggy's or Wendy's or Junior's or Iggy's! Well maybe I thought I might get Ludwig's… but who would have thought that Kamek would give us our siblings' poems to read? Not me! Not me at all! You know maybe I should go talk to Ludwig now? That's probably a very very good idea! Not surprising, since I thought of it. Now I wonder where he could be. Probably the music room. Obviously. I love answering my own questions! It's so fun! I wonder if whoever got my poem is going to come and find me? I bet it was Larry! Larry understands me! But… what if it was Roy? Oh I hope it's not Roy… I don't want him to beat me up… I kinda called him out in my poem… but what are the odds that it was him who got it? Like one in seven? That's like 15% or something! So I have nothing to worry about! ...I hope."

* * *

Larry couldn't believe it. He was walking down his secret passage, a jewel in his right hand, the poem in his left. He kept reading it over and over, just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Of all the things he was expecting Roy to write about… this wasn't even on the list.

_He does care… he actually does care, _Larry blinked, reading again, _I thought he beat us up just for the fun of it… I was wrong. I was so wrong. But then… why does he act this way? What does he have to prove? What could he possibly have to gain?_

"I have to find him. I have to find him now."

* * *

"Wow. This was unexpected."

Junior opened the cell door, which had clicked open after he had read the poem's last word, and had begun heading back to the surface.

He wasn't sure what he should be feeling at the moment. Sure, he was happy that Iggy didn't care if he got the throne but…

Was it better to feel nothing rather than feel something? Was it better to not care at all, or was caring slightly a better option?

He didn't know. He supposed he wouldn't know for a long time.

But he needed to find out. He wanted to know what Iggy was thinking. He wanted to know why he had written what he had written. And he wanted to know what it all meant.

And thus, each Koopaling went on a mission, with each Koopaling a mission in themselves.

What they would discover, what truths they would relinquish, only time would tell.


End file.
